Adam Silver inaugurated the 2024-25 NBA season on October 22. At around the same time, the US Presidential elections were in their final legs, making Donald Trump and Kamala Harris the most talked about entities in the country.
That meant a lot of the focus of Americans was on the constant campaigns of the two candidates in the running. Debates dominated television and radio networks talked about what either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris said.
At the same time, analytical firms suggested that the league suffered a major dip in viewers. The most telling stat was when 42% fewer viewers tuned in to watch opening week games. The ratings sent alarm bells ringing across basketball fans.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver, however, has been defiant so far. Even though it has been claimed that overall viewership has been up, analysts and former players have been critical of the ‘boring’ way the game is played.
I don’t think it has anything to do with the three-point shot. I think we’re just looking at a couple weeks of ratings. There’s always some unique things, this year we were up against a World Series. You had a presidential election which was commanding an enormous amount of attention.
Adam Silver said on declining NBA ratings
Adam Silver believes the World Series and the election played a role in the NBA’s low ratings to start the season
“I think we’re just looking at a couple weeks of ratings, there’s always some unique things, this year we were up against a World Series … you had a presidential… pic.twitter.com/TDus1qVtll
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 19, 2024
Shaquille O’Neal for instance, mentioned that now every team is relying on threes to score points. The commissioner on the other hand made it clear that he does not think the overreliance on the three-point game has made the NBA boring.
Adam Silver gives an insight into NBA’s growth
After giving the reality of why the NBA’s first few weeks saw a slump in viewers, Adam Silver turned his attention to the areas where they are growing. In the same interview, he stated that there is an increase in social media traffic this season.
The fans are responding. We have more social media traffic than any time in our history. It’s a huge global marketplace of interest in the NBA.
Adam Silver on NBA’s growing popularity
The commissioner was adamant that as basketball gains acceptance, the NBA will continue to gain audiences. Their attention to social media coverage has helped the league reach areas where there is a lack of television coverage.
Basketball requiring less space than soccer also means more and more countries are embracing the game. Silver mentioned that with the combined excitement it brings along with important physical exercise, the game is only set to grow.
